Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-10-21

AOElDs
the testimony of Suzanne and her mother, OF
Roger and Victoria, and noticed that not one
of them varied. He did not wonder that an
innocent man was tried and condemned on
such evidence; indeed, he wondered more
how he was not sentenced to death.
One mystery appeared in all Rogers an
swers Had Lucien penetrated itl Perhaps
he had. Was it not possible that among the
papers relating TO this affair might be found
some mention Of it, At any rate he could
look. In a large closet at Meridon farm there
was an immense quantity OF paper, books and
BRIEFS which had belonged to his father, and
he was quite certain that he should find them
undsturbed, with the accumulated dust of
all these years upon them.
This would have been painful task TO
open and search oil these traces Of his bril-
liant fai lers ambitious talent, under other
circumstances Now it seemed pious labor,
aud as he worked among them LIE thought
with regret Of that honorable, loyal life so
nobly spent and lost.
Until evening ho worked without finding
anything; then he at last came upon the
notes which bore upon the assassination Of
Larouette. Little by little he found the pa
pers which made up the file, and finally he
found the notes and most Of the final speech
which Lucien had given. Ho read it with O.
heart beating high with conflicting emotions,
and with tears standing in his eyes The
eloquent passages fairly spoke even now, with
the dust of age upon them. At nearly every
page Raymond found q few words as mar
ginal notes, such as "What is this mystery
of the moneys" "Whnt internal part has this
woman played in Rogers life, that he will
not contest" ~ see woman's hand in this
and "Who is this womanP
"My father was not deceived said Raw
mond. "There was woman, but who is
she7"
At last the desk in the closet was enr,tv.
and there remained but few papers. This
desk had belonged to Julia but in removal to
the farm it had been placed in here and all
the other papers with and upon it. As there
were still apparently two or three leaves Of
the brief missing, Raymond took held OF
some papers and they seemed caught With
his penknife he tried to loosen them and in SO
doing lie touched spring somewhere, and
narrow secret drawer flew open, and in it
was photograph Of handsome, noble look
ing man
The photograph was clean and in every
other way in good condition, except that
where the heart Of the man would be was
cut clear through the paper, as though done
with some sharp instrument. Idly turning it
in Lis hand, Raymond saw written on the
back in his mothers delicate but peculiar
handwriting, the following dates:
"The 2Sth of July 1872, at II 80 p m.
"The 3Oth of July, 1872.
"The 18th of August, 1S72n
What was thisl Why these three dates be-
hind the picture of this unknown in his
mothers writing, and besides, who was this
man? He felt that he had seen him some
where.
Finally, a prey to a vague uneasiness, Ray.
mond placed the photograph in his pocket
and went out Of the house. He walked, he
ran, he threw himself on the ground, but
wherever he went he was haunted by that
face in the picture, and also those dates in
his mothers writing. He looked again and
with a groan of agony hid the face then
again he looked, this time as one faces q
| forlorn hope, and doubt was no longer pos
sible; this was, without even one sole little
possibility Of doubt, Roger Laroque as he was
before this awful accusation fell upon him.
To be sure, the hair and beard were dark, the
face was yourrg and care free, and that awful
dishguring scar had not destroyed the sym
metry OF the left side OF his lace; but the
oral cast of features were thore William For